Sinner's Penance
by Lain3y
Summary: 2yrs have passed & life is peaceful again. However, unbeknownst to everyone around him, Cloud is now secretly dealing w/ two deaths close to his heart, & the defeat of Sephiroth in quite the dangerous way.M/M, F/F, M/F, Rape, Abuse. Full desc. on Profile.
1. Chapter 1

Two years.

Has it really been that long since the defeat of Sephiroth? Yes, it has. Two years, twenty-four months, seven hundred and thirty days, it was all the same. It felt as though a lifetime had gone by since then, and yet it felt as though no time had gone by at all. At least it did for him.

Thick heavy boots made contact with the wooden stairs leading down to the bar. Try as he might to be stealthy, Cloud couldn't stop the occasional creak and groan that escaped the wood from beneath his weight. Great. So much for a quiet exit. The children, he was sure would sleep through that, it was someone else that he wasn't so sure about. Cloud got to the bottom of the stairs, his eyes instantly drawn to an uncovered window. The streetlights outside highlighting certain points of the room. The Liquor bottles on a high shelf behind the bar, the chrome sink below and even the metal legs of the bar-stools.

"One bottle." Cloud muttered quietly to himself. One was all he needed, yet even as he was reaching for a particular bottle of Captain Morgan he had to wonder 'why'? Why was he even bothering? He didn't want to be drunk. He needed to be numb but, he needed to feel it-

"What for?" Came a soft unexpected question. Cloud froze mid-motion. His shoulders went tense at the sudden soft voice somewhere behind him. His breath caught shortly in the back of his throat. The bottle of Captain nestled firmly in one gloved hand, the other at rest on his side, slowly curled into a tight fist. "Nothing." He answered, dropping his shoulders. Yeah, so much for a quiet exit.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Cloud asked in a soft, quiet voice. His back was still to his company, though she heard him just fine. "That's what I was going to ask you." She replied back. She wasn't too far away from the bar its self. Maybe a table or two in, shrouded by shadow. Convenient that the windows by the dining area were covered. Why hadn't he noticed that? Still, Cloud kept his back to her, and still she stayed where she sat. Just out of sight it seemed. Silence stretched taunt between them. The only sound that could be heard by either one of them, was their own respective steady heartbeats.

Cloud's eyes scanned the unopened Liquor bottle, from top to bottom, that still rested in his hand. The tantalizing deep honey color was almost staring back at him, it seemed. Promising him things only the good Captain could deliver, and he knew it. The thought of Captain taking hold of his body from the inside out sent a cold chill down his spine. Cloud's tongue actually began to tingle and the ghostly familiar liquid heat sensation ran from the back of his throat all the way to the tips of his fingers. Even the good Captain's all too familiar unmistakeable spice had manifested in his mind, and was now playing cruel tricks on him. Entering his nose and clearing all his senses, and his head. Tempting. It was very tempting in fact, but... Cloud shook his head, closed his eyes and gingerly placed the bottle back on the shelf. No. Not this time.

"Cloud?" His name was barely audible as it past her lips. Almost as if the shadows in that room had muted her voice. "I gotta get out of here for a few days." Cloud's voice steadily rose to that warm mellow tone he so often spoke in. Almost as if he'd had an epiphany, as he made his way to the backdoor of the bar. "Again? Cloud-" She protested, emerging from shadow to catch him by the left arm. "Tifa. I just need to clear my head." Cloud caught Tifa's sad doe eyes with his own guarded Mako stare. It wasn't a look to intimidate her, but only to drive his point further home. He needed to get out of the bar, out of Edge and just clear his head. At least, that's what he always tells her.

"It's almost Four a.m. Cloud. Can't you just wait til morning, maybe?" Tifa pleaded. Cloud had noticed that she was still in her regular attire. She never did change into more comfortable sleeping clothes, meaning she'd been waiting up for him. She was starting to piece together the routine he'd worked himself into. He'd have to fix that. However, it seems she's still oblivious to the rest. How long?

"No. I have to go." Cloud answered, though he still didn't make any motion to leave just yet. Why? Before Tifa had intervened there wasn't a damn thing that would have stopped him going right out that back door, firing up Fenrir and just going. Not a damn thing. "Where do you go?" Tifa asked. Her firm grip around his bicep loosened to a soft hold, while her thumb gently moved in circles against his skin. To comfort? "Around." Cloud muttered.

"Liar." Tifa replied in a soft feathery tone. "Not just around. You go somewhere, Cloud. Somewhere specific. I just wish I knew where, and why." Something flashed behind Cloud's deep blue eyes. Something cold and detached, though he caught it before Tifa herself could see it. He didn't want Tifa to know. She didn't need that burden. "I go," Cloud began, then deliberately choked back what was forming in the back of his throat. It was there, though he dare not let it slip. "... to clear my head." He finished. Cloud watched Tifa release a breath, she probably didn't know she'd been holding. She dropped her eyes and released the grip on his arm. "Right." A disappointing sigh. "Well. I guess we'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah." Cloud said as he searched his pockets for Fenrir's keys. Once located, he spared Tifa one last sidelong glance. She was running both hands through her long thick dark brunette hair, though she did manage a small meager smile. "Just a few days." Cloud repeated in a reassuring tone. Reassuring to whom? Tifa, or himself? She merely nodded in agreement and watched as Cloud once again, within the last five months left in the middle of the night to an unknown destination for an unknown reason.


	2. Chapter 2

The only sound penetrating the reverberating silence surrounding Cloud's out of focus thoughts was the swishing of his pants, the dull thud of his boots connecting with the floor, and his pulse pounding in his ears. He kept a steady pace toward the bar's backdoor, never once slowing down to give Tifa an other chance to stop him. Although it was proving to be a bit difficult. The weight of her eyes was weighing him down. Her heavy doe stare pleading with him to stay. He knew if she did stop him, he'd almost feel inclined to stay, and then he'd really regret it next time. Or would he? With his right hand Cloud opened the back door and with his left, swiftly grabbed his 6-bladed Buster sword that had been leaning up against the wall, attached it to his back and closed the door behind him.

Then just like that, the weight of Tifa's heavy doe gaze had been diminished. Lifted with the closing of something so simple as a door. Cloud got as far as the little one car garage, before he had to stop and get a hold of his bearings. He sucked in air hard through his nose, as if he'd gone his whole life without knowing of its existance. Breathing, breathing, breath...

Damn it. "Damn it!" Cloud snapped under his breath. She doesn't need to know! She's not to blame. He was. He is to blame.

Cloud took a few more deep breaths and unlatched the buster sword from his back, then keyed in the code to the garage and slid the door open. There, Fenrir stood atop the epoxy flooring. The beauty of a beast was sporting a new coat of paint and gloss. About a month prior, poor Fenrir took a nasty slide. Scratches and dings all up and down it's beautifully muscular body. Now, though it was damn near impossible to tell. Cloud took great pride in keeping Fenrir looking and running like new. He ran two fingers along the freshly glossed flank, the cool metal chilled his gloved finger tips. Cloud then hit a little switch right above the gas tank and six hidden slots reviled themselves. After taking careful precautions when sliding each individual blade into each slot, as to not scratch his beloved bike, Cloud then mounted and fired up Fenrir's oval-piston twin cylinder engine which is capable of 250mph. When he pulled his driving goggles over his Mako infused eyes, Cloud happened to glance up and see that on the second floor of the bar, one of the windows lit up through a light window curtain. Yeah, he had to get out of there quick. The kids knew the sound of Fenrir's engine, and there was no doubt that Denzel and Marlene heard it just outside their window. With a quick glance at his phone to check the time, Cloud kicked up the stand and without further delay, he was gone.

* * *

><p>Tifa stood off to the side of a second floor window. Using just the tips of her fingers, she pushed the window curtain aside just far enough to watch as Cloud fired up his beloved bike, and took off into the night. Just where does he go? Behind her, down the hall she noticed a faint glow showing through the bottom of a closed door. It was Denzel and Marlene's room which really was no surprise. Before either one of the youngsters could manage to untangle themselves from the comfort of their respective beds any further, Tifa made her way down the hall and knocked lightly against the door then gently pushed it open. She entered in a slightly crouched position. Bending at the knees and a hunched back, just slightly as to not cause alarm to the sleepy little ones. All over the dusty blue walls, hung several pictures. Shelves that had an array of different keepsakes were mounted upon the far right wall and again, on the wall to the left near two catty corner windows. There were two twin beds pushed up against the wall to the right. Aged wooden frames with a single pillow and checkered comforter each. Above each headboard, a single light fixture was mounted, one of which was turned on. It was Denzel's.<p>

The bed to the far left was Marlene's. The sudden brightness of the light fixture caused the little girl to yank the thick comforter up and over her head as she let out a sleepy groan in protest. Denzel, on the other hand was sitting up right in his bed closest to the door. He had his head bent down as he rubbed his eyes, willing them to get accustomed to the soft glow of the light above. After a moment he drew a sleepy gaze to Tifa standing there at the foot of his bed through a shaggy mess of hair. He looked tired, as was to be expected at such a late hour. Tired and all too aware.

"Hey, Mr." Tifa said sweetly as she went to sit on the end of Denzel's bed. Her hushed voice carried just enough volume to be heard beneath Marlene's comforter. The tot braved the brightness of a single light fixture and peered cautiously into the room. Tifa noticed, and flashed a warm smile to her. "Where does he go?" Denzel asked, causing Tifa's warm eyes to fall back onto him. Marlene's sleepy eyes had finally adjusted to the warm glow of the room. She too appeared to be a bit curious. "I really don't know." Tifa said, glance from Denzel to Marlene and back again. "When will he be back?" Marlene ventured. "A day or two. Just like last time, right?" Denzel answered Marlene all the while playing aimlessly with a button on his pajama top. Tifa caught the last bit and nodded. "He'll be back before you know it." A beat of silence passed, then Denzel and Marlene exchanged a quick glance. "I promise." Tifa pressed on, sliding off the young boy's bed and placed a brief kiss atop his head. She moved across the room and did the same to Marlene. Heading back to the cracked bedroom door, Tifa spared a quick glance at the nightstand clock that sat between the two twin beds. Quarter past four in the morning. Definitely past everyone's bedtime.

"Back to bed with you two." She said, quietly closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Back in her own bedroom down the hall from the kids room, Tifa kicked off her shoes, shimmed out of the black fitting shorts and long leather coat tail attachment. She unzipped the fitting top and tugged on a comfortable cotton t-shirt, all without even bothering to turn on a light. Too damn late for that. She'd gotten under the warm welcoming blankets and sat there a moment. Thoughts everywhere, and nowhere at once. Thoughts of Cloud, thoughts of Denzel and Marlene. The bar, and money.<p>

"Shit." She reached for the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand to the left. "Thanks a lot, Cloud." Tifa muttered to no on in particular as she set the alarm for 9 A.M. Five hours of sleep can't exactly be called restful, but it'll have to do. There was a delivery scheduled to go out the next day by no later than 12 noon. If Cloud's projected return day was anything to judge by, he wouldn't be here to deliver the package on time and in turn, be paid. Not exactly good business adequate. Tifa hated when she had to ask for outside help, though, she had a feeling the outside help wouldn't mind.

* * *

><p>He'd been riding for close to an hour and a half. He didn't stop. He didn't slow down. He kept it at a steady 120mph past Nibelheim, not once sparing it a fleeting glance. Past Gongaga as a brief memory flashed behind his eyes. A man with spiky black hair, blues eyes and a faint scare on his left cheek. "Zack," The name was nothing more than a breath past Cloud's lips as he squeezed the throttle and pushed past Cosmos Canyon, Rocket Town, and the Wutai village.<p>

Soon, Cloud found himself surrounded by the Sleeping Forest. Surrounded by memories that kept him up at night, and the one and only reason why he was even here to begin with. Then just as quickly, he made his way past it and onto his desired destination; The Forgotten City. By this point he did slow down Fenrir to 50mph. He fished his cellphone out of his pocket and without even the slightest pause, turned the device off. There were several unusual paths along which Cloud could have taken. Unusual paths that lead to equally unusual homes, but he never once diverted his attention away from the straight path that lay before him. He had no interest in the odd homes. This whole place did nothing but conjure up painful memories, and yet he came here so often.

Before long, Cloud found himself face to face with The Forgotten City's capital. Barren trees that were centuries old and as pale as bone, higher than one could see, surrounded a single structure. This structure was built from giant Helical shells. On the left side there were two extremely large tusk-like shell pieces judging outward. On the very top and on the right side of the structure were spike-like protrusions of different sizes. All of which gave this Helical shell building a foreboding sense of imminent danger, and yet a strange sense of peace washed over him.

Cloud had turned off Fenrir's engine, pocketed the keys and proceeded to walk his trusted bike up the stone pathway that cut through the lucid water, encompassing the beautifully complex Helical building. It was something the Ancients should be proud of...

Cloud parked his bike in the same spot every-time; right next to the three supporting pillars, to the left of the arched entryway. Inside he could see the spiral stairway that lead to the second, and third floors. It was quiet. Very quiet. Cloud did not let his eyes wander. He kept them steady and leveled to the first floor only, though he could feel a new weight bearing down on him from above. Unlike before with Tifa, this presence was not warm nor pleading. It was cold and dangerous. It angered him, yet in a strange sort of way it was almost welcoming. As per usual Cloud did not take any weapons with him past this point. It was a risky move, although even being here was risky in of its self. He squared his shoulders and entered.

There wasn't much in the way of daily luxuries inside. A few end tables here and there, however it seemed as though the place had been stripped down to only the essentials to live. With each step up the staircase, Cloud's insides began to twist and churn. He thought he felt his stomach sink and the bile inside rise to the back of his throat. Maybe his heart was pounding, or maybe it wasn't. Was he actually trembling? He steadied himself by squeezing both gloved hands into tight fists at his sides. He kept squeezing and squeezing them into tighter and tighter fists with each passing step. By the time he reached the third floor, Cloud's fists were balled up so tight, they were actually beginning to feel cold. He stopped at the top of the staircase and let his eyes scan what appeared to be an ordinary room. A bedroom if the single twin bed and nightstand were anything to judge by. Off in the darkest corners, he could feel that foreboding sense of danger emanating towards him. After a few beats of taunt silence, one slender figure emerged from the furthest corner. Cloud's expression turned into a cold hard scowl as the figure, dripping in black form fitting leather approached him. A dangerous smirk slowly appeared across that wicked mouth, causing Cloud's eyes to hardened into an unreadable stare. A form fitting gloved hand cupped the side of Cloud's cheek and in the process, oddly enough, calmed his racing heartbeat, his insides, and his trembling hands. The action could have been a truly loving one, had it been witnessed by a complete stranger in a different universe. However, this was not the case.

The figure's Mako blue-green eyes squinted daringly, and slid a stern thumb across Cloud's soft lips.

Then he said. "Hurt me."


	3. Chapter 3

The idea was to sleep in till the very last millisecond. The idea was to get as much sleep as possible squeezed into just under five hours, all the while with worried thoughts of Cloud swimming around her head. That was the plan. Of course that's not exactly how it all worked out. Tifa had awoken ten minutes prior to the alarm going off at 9 A.M. She was still very much cocooned within the sheets when she tried her best to glared at the alarm as if it had wronged her. It didn't of course. Early March sunshine was peaking in through a window curtain to the left as Tifa sat up and reached for the phone. She could heard the faint sound of Denzel and Marlene's voices from down the hall. "They're probably hungry." She said aloud, with a flick of a switch turning off the alarm.

She would have to shower quickly this morning, but first she'd have to make that phone call. She knew he wouldn't mind. It was just of who he was, and who he was working for that bugger her the most about asking him for help. That, and well Cloud wouldn't be too pleased about it either. Tifa let out an anxious sigh before mouthing quietly to herself a phone number as she dialed it. Three rings later the line clicked live. "Yo." Came a smooth toned yet, somewhat distracted response. "Reno, are you busy?" Tifa asked, rubbing her eyes. She was definitely going to need a strong cup of coffee this morning. In fact, make that two. There was a brief pause and the sound of paperwork being stacked. "Lockhart?" More like a confirmation, than a question. "Nah, just going through some paperwork for the Boss."

Tifa hesitated. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

* * *

><p>Both Denzel and Marlene were still in their Chocobo pajamas. Denzel wearing blue, and Marlene wearing pink as they each grabbed the stairway railing and headed to the main floor. Denzel took the lead, heading straight for the backroom behind the bar. Marlene followed. Once inside she made a beeline for the stainless steel refrigerator, while Denzel went straight for the cabinets and grabbed a large pan and a mixing bowl. Without instruction, after retrieving the milk and eggs, Marlene found a stepping stool and positioned it right up against the opposite counter, took the two steps up and reached for the flour, sugar and baking soda. Denzel was there in an instant to give her an extra hand.<p>

"Ready?" Denzel said moments later observing all the ingredients spread before them. Marlene nodded, holding up a liquid measuring cup. "3/4ths cup of Milk."

* * *

><p>"So he did it again, then." Reno was saying. He had temporarily forgotten about the paperwork, feet propped up on the table top as he leaned back into the soft leather chair. "Yeah, he did." Tifa exhaled. "It's an important delivery and it can't afford to be late. I honestly wouldn't be asking you if I had any other options here." There was a brief pause then the sound of leather creaking before Reno scoffed sarcastically. "Ouch. I'm hurt." He said in a smooth laid back tone. "Still. Since you've asked so nicely... what time?"<p>

"It needs to be out of here by Noon." Tifa said, finally climbing out of bed. "If you could get here before then I'll give you the delivery location."  
>"Can do." The smooth tone, sarcastic lit voice replied.<p>

Not too long after, Tifa found herself standing underneath a waterfall of hot water. Just standing, and doing her best to keep a tight rein over her worrying thoughts of Cloud. Tifa knew that she was not his mother, and she sure as hell was not his lover, but damn it all that Cloud really knew how to make her worried sick like one. It was common courtesy, or at least Tifa thought it was, to at least let her know where he was going. Maybe not the exact location. That was probably asking too much, but a general location would be nice. They were family after all. Sort of. It was cruel to make her worry. It isn't like she has to know where he is at every waking moment of the day. It's just... "You just looked so far away last night." Tifa found herself saying aloud. Far away and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

After that much needed refreshing shower, Tifa wrapped a soft fluffy white robe tightly around her body. She'd get dressed properly after and other phone call. She knew it was a pointless effort. She always did. She'd call, it would go straight to voice mail and when Cloud would return a day or so later, he'd say the same thing every time, 'The battery died' and that would be the end of it. She never pried any further, and he would act as if nothing had happened. However, as the phone rang again a second time, Tifa thought maybe, just maybe Cloud would answer this time. She really didn't have time to stop and ponder why the sudden change in the routine as the line clicked live. Tifa waited. There wasn't a sound, but the line definitely clicked live. Cloud had answered. What was he waiting for?

"Cloud?" Tifa spoke anxiously into the receiver. Still nothing. "I see. Alright so this is how it is." Tifa squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her thumb and middle finger against the two pressure points one either side of her head. "Since you won't talk, I will. Just so you know I had to call up Reno and ask him to do today's delivery for me in your place. At this rate Cloud, he's going to be more the delivery boy than you are." There was a sharp shallow intake of breath on the other end of the line. It could have sounded painful if Tifa had stopped to think about it. She didn't, however.

"I don't mean he will be. It's just at this rate I may have to start paying him." Tifa waited a moment and listened. Listened for any indication that she wasn't just talking to herself. There was the steady sound of breathing coming from Cloud's end of the line, which was better than nothing. "Just be careful out there, okay Cloud." Tifa found herself saying as if she was in a hurry to end the phone call. She wasn't of course, it just came out as though she did. Cloud presumably took it that way too, and abruptly paused his breathing, then a short 'hmph' right before the one sided phone call ended.

* * *

><p>Maybe he was dreaming. In fact, that could be the only plausible explanation to how he heard Tifa's voice ringing in his ears. She sounded distant and somehow right next to him at the same time. She was going on about something to do with a delivery. Damn it that's right. There was an important delivery he had to take care of today. If only he could will himself to wake up. Wait. No that's not right. 'Reno?' His thoughts were scattered. He heard Tifa say something about Reno doing the delivery. That wasn't right. It couldn't be right. Why would Tifa have Reno do a delivery when it was clearly Cloud's job?<p>

He was trying to will his eyes to open. Trying to wake up so he could go take care of that delivery and then it hit him. A scent. A scent that was so out of place, and yet as his thoughts began to clear the haze they were in, was not. Strong leather mixed in with the crispness of a cool sweet breeze, the likes of which were not found in the city of Edge. Cloud swallowed dryly. A thick, awful bitter taste washed over his tongue, choking his very sore throat. Yeah, now he remembered. He finally peeled his eyes open just enough to catch sight of a leather bound body sitting right above his head. The body was slender and tone, beautiful even if one were to ignore the cruel eyes upon which it went with. However, it was even hard to deny that those eyes weren't beautiful too. It was then that Cloud caught a faint glimpse of a flat black Panasonic p900iv cell phone cradled within the palm of the figure above his head. A small victorious grin spread across those cruel lips as Cloud pieced it all together.

It was his Panasonic p900iv cell phone.

So he wasn't completely imagining it. He did hear Tifa, and she did say something about Reno doing the delivery job today. Great. That prick. But the real question was, did his company give away the ploy? Or who Cloud was with, if he was with anyone at all? In his groggy state of mind, Cloud's eyes connected with a pair of sharp Blue-green ones. No. It was so much more fun to keep it a little secret and the glint in his company's eyes seemed to say as much. An other leather bound figure with much longer hair approached, knelt down to Cloud's eye level and presented a glass of what appeared to be water. Cloud tried to ignore it, even though he couldn't deny that he was desperate to wash down that terrible taste. He knew what it was. No doubt he did, which made him want it gone that much faster.

These eyes, unlike the sharp cruel eyes from the figure sitting next to him, were not so cold. Instead they were almost warm, gentle even, and that was disarming. He tried to advert his bleary eyes away but it was proving to be a bit difficult as a set of strong hands held his head up, drawing slow circles in his spiky blonde hair. He knew that look. He knew that gesture. It was fake. So fucking fake compared to how things were only hours prior. Gently two warm gloved hand reached out and grabbed a hold of Cloud's bare one, placing in it the glass of ice cold water. Those disarmingly gentle eyes never once adverted from Cloud's as he slowly, with a helping hand, welcomed the refreshing drink down his dry and very sore throat.

There were a few words spoken between the figure sitting beside him and the one kneeling down in front of him. A third voice briefly penetrated the sleepy membrane surrounding Cloud's head before he slipped back into a deep, deep sleep.

* * *

><p>After taking a bit longer than normal to get properly dressed, Tifa was still a tad bit confused by that phone call. If it could be called such a thing anyway. Cloud had answered, that was clear, but for what ever reason he did not say one word. If he wasn't going to talk to her, then why did he answer his phone in the first place? In the past whenever Tifa called his cell it was always dead, or so Cloud claimed. Tifa figured he turned it off. So why then...? Sparing one last glance at the steal plated wireless phone, Tifa forced away the thought of calling again.<p>

Just outside her bedroom Tifa had completely forgotten about that strange phone call to Cloud due to one very odd thing. She smelt something mouth-watering. The scent made its way up through her nose, swirled a bit on her tongue and slid down her throat like a smooth river of silk. Chocolate, actually. She paused for a moment just at the top of the stairs as a small smile spread across her soft lips. "Chocolate huh." The realization dawned on her that since she wasn't up before the kids, they had taken it upon themselves to make something to eat. "Chocolate what though?" She asked aloud, making her way down the staircase along the wall of photos. The main floor of the bar was vacant. The tall bar chairs stand where they were, undisturbed along the the long L shaped bar top. Tables with seating for four were arranged just past that point, all remained undisturbed. All except one. At a table closest to the bar one of the chairs was moved. Tifa recalled it was the one she sat in the night before while waiting up for Cloud.

In the cookery behind the bar, the strong aroma of chocolate distracted her from those thoughts. She peered in through the window which was just big enough for the average adult's head to fit, and spotted the source of the suspiciously chocolatey smelling breakfast.

Tifa pushed the door open to spot just about the sweetest thing she'd ever seen. Marlene stood atop a stepping stool, just off to the side of the stove. She had just gotten done flipping, what was unmistakably a chocolate-chip pancake. It was done to perfection. Golden brown, just the right thickness and it even managed to stay in a pancake shape, though it wasn't really a perfect circle, it was close enough. Denzel, being the older of the two had no trouble seeing over the stove. He had taken it upon himself to scoop up the finished pancake, and place it on a cooking sheet in the oven to stay warm. There were several others in there too. Tifa taught them well.

"Good morning." Denzel and Marlene said together. Gleaming smiles on both of their faces, their eyes almost smiling too it seemed. Marlene hopped down from the stepping stool, and proceeded to wrap herself around Tifa's leg in a 'good morning' hug. Denzel stayed behind to look after the last pancake that was almost ready to be flipped. "We would have started the coffee," He said, flipping the circular-ish breakfast cake and turning off the warm oven. "but we didn't know how strong you wanted it."

"That's fine." Tifa smiled sweetly, walking over to Denzel to run her hand through his soft, messy chestnut brown hair. The coffee pot was on the opposite counter, a foot or so away from the sink. Just above that was a row of cabinets that held dishware, glasses, measuring cups and the coffee grains and sugar. Tifa took her time measuring six cups of coffee, (which really was only enough coffee for two standard coffee mugs to fill) and plopped two big, one tablespoon measurements of coffee grains into the filter. "Breakfast smells great you two." She said flipping the switch to 'on'.

"Well," Marlene began as she went to open the pantry door, retrieving the syrup. "Denzel and I figured we would help out this morning." She caught Tifa's warm eyes with her own and flashed a genuine smile. Tifa then spotted Denzel placing the pan of warm chocolate-chip pancakes on top of the stove. He too flashed a warm smile, although his probably had a double meaning behind it, seeing as how he had tried to swipe a chocolate chip out of the bag without being seen.

Tifa gave him the 'I saw what you did there' look. Denzel grinned, Marlene giggled and then Tifa and Denzel joined in too. A quick glance up at a nearby clock told Tifa that it was just past 10 A.M. She had told Reno to be at the bar sometime before 12 noon so she could give him the details on the delivery. Figure he'll show up around 11:30 - 11:45 A.M., she thought. Good, they still had enough time to enjoy breakfast, however late in the morning it was. "Alright," She said, retrieving three plates, two glasses and a coffee mug from the cabinet above. Marlene grabbed the silverware, and Denzel went to the refrigerator coming back with Milk for himself and Marlene and the coffee creamer for Tifa's preferred breakfast drink of choice that morning. By then the coffee pot alerted everyone that the hot java was done brewing and ready by beeping three times.

* * *

><p>Three fluffy, warm chocolatey chocolate-chip pancakes topped with a sliver of butter and a heaping helping of syrup each. A tall glass of Milk for Denzel and Marlene each, and Tifa downed her first, much needed sip of hot delectable java. It was a good thing she decided to make six cups, she thought, while watching the kids enjoying their successful creation with pleased expressions. The three of them sat at one of the bar tables, the window curtain drawn to look out onto the city. Today being a dreadful Monday, she was going to need to be awake at least long enough to help the delivery truck with the boxes of Liquor she was expecting a few hours from now. Bills to be paid, and an important delivery which she had to trust Reno to deliver. It wasn't an issue of whether or not it would be delivered on time. In fact, Tifa knew, Reno being Reno, he was a very hard working employee of Shinra and despite his often disheveled appearance and lazy attitude he so often portrayed, he did get the job done no matter what. However, she was starting to feel as though she should maybe pay the guy. After all, he has so far done at least five deliveries for her in the past. This most recent delivery will make a total of six.<p>

"Tifa?"

Denzel's big round eyes watching closely, his curious voice broke through the private conversation Tifa was having with herself. "Are you still worried? About Cloud?" Marlene ventured, poking at a particular yummy looking piece of pancake coated in syrup. Tifa blinked once. Twice. Then raised her coffee cup to her lips.

"Of course I am sweetheart, but he'll be fine." Tifa nodded, before putting down the cup and cut into fluffy pancakes. "Actually," She continued thoughtfully, waving a small peice of pancake at the end of her fork in small circles, as if to conjure up her thought process. A sweet, sly smile appeared upon her lips as she dropped a smart gaze onto the two of them. "Who has laundry duty today?" Both Denzel and Marlene simultaneously swallowed what remains of their breakfast was left.

Denzel actually groaned at that. He hated laundry. Marlene on the other hand didn't mind it so much. She downed the last bit of her milk and hopped down from her chair. "Let's go Denzel." She announced almost gleefully. It took him a moment to actually muster up the energy to leave his chair. At least he wasn't stuck doing it alone, he thought. Tifa watched the two of them disappear into the cookery with their dishes, then a moment later emerge hand in hand, Marlene of course leading the way. Denzel looking not too pleased.

Shortly there after Tifa had finished her breakfast and was now on her second cup of coffee. She could hear the faint sound of Marlene instructing Denzel on the art of folding socks properly just down the hall, as she took a moment to look over the wall of photographs right there next to the bar. Photos of the children, of the city Edge, the 7th Heaven bar its self, Cloud and his beloved Fenrir, and the whole gang. The photo of the whole gang gave her a nostalgic feeling right in core of her heart. How long has it been since they were all together last? Well she actually knew and it wasn't exactly a happy memory.

The unmistakable sound of a vehicle pulling up right outside, broke Tifa's concentration. That low glorious sound of a powerful engine purred only for a moment longer before it stopped all together, then the sound of a door opening, and closing. A brief glance at the nearby wall clock confirmed who her company was. Right on time.

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><p>I know it's slow going, but I promise it's getting there. I'm just having too much fun with this!<br>Thanks for reading, and please review if you can! :D


	4. Chapter 4

There was a brief pause then the sound of a second door opening, and closing. Odd, Tifa thought, but it really shouldn't have been. A few muted words were spoken, Tifa picked up on some of it. Something to do with not scratching the precious paint, and then the central locking system was activated on the vehicle outside. Tifa remained by the wall of photos, coffee cup still in hand, as 7th Heaven's front door was pushed open.

Reno's bright red hair was the first thing to enter the bar. He stuck his head in like some sort of cautious cat, wary of the guard dog. Spikes of red stuck straight up, which seemed like an impossible feat to accomplish without a ridiculous amount of hair gel, yet it managed to maintain a soft appearance. His long ponytail was slung over his left shoulder, those silly goggles he always seemed to wear and yet never uses were mounted atop his head and his eyes were slightly larger than usual. Perhaps he was on the lookout for the guard dog. Suddenly he was stumbling his way inside, trying to maintain his balance from the sudden force behind him with his hands spread out to the sides. "Whoa!" He almost laughed in that wise-guy tone.

The culprit who more than likely shoved said Reno into the bar entered next. Big, broad shouldered, built guy. He had to have stood at, at least 6'2", had a well maintained goatee and the man was bald. He also wore a pair of modern style sunglasses that were tinted just enough to hide his eyes behind them.

"A warning next time, Rude. I almost busted my ass." Reno was saying, as he tried to salvage the situation by casually leaned up against the bar.

Rude closed the door behind him and adjusted his tie ever so slightly. "Tifa," He said with a small tilt of his head in her direction.

"Yo, Lockhart." Reno announced, grinning that stupid sexy grin that apparently worked on any other girl. That accompanied with his usual disheveled appearance and cocky attitude, made him quite the lady killer. Rude, on the other hand was quite the opposite. He is no where near as boisterous as Reno and very taciturn in nature. The man is also much more professional in his appearance, unlike Reno's un-tucked dress shirt and unbuttoned suit jacket, Rude's suit is tucked in where it needs to be with a crisp collar and everything. Although Rude does sport a total of eight earrings. Six in his left ear and two in his right, while Reno only has two; one in each ear.

Tifa just sighed and shook her head as she walked past him and behind the bar. "I'm surprised to see you here, Rude. I know you two are always together, but it's usually only Reno doing these delivery jobs that are usually Cloud's responsibility." Tifa rinsed out the coffee cup and leaned against the bar top. "I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience for you by being here."

"Not at all." Rude said in a gruff tone.

"I wouldn't call it an inconvenience for him exactly." Reno turned to face Tifa eye to eye. A sly grin had formed across his lips as he shoved a thumb over his shoulder. "He's just looking out for his new baby. Bastard won't let me drive it. I've told him I'd be gentle."

Behind him, Rude made no attempt to hide the scoff that passed his lips. Even if Reno did promise to be 'gentle' there was still no way in hell, Rude would let him drive his new beauty. It's not that Reno is a bad driver or anything, it's just that his car was in a shop for suspension repairs. He tried to do a slide and well, he's out 1500 Gil.

"You are not driving my car." Rude enforced his point by dropping the keys into his pocket furthest away from the troublesome Reno, and even kept his hand there to protect them from his partner.

Behind the bar, Tifa bent down to rummage through the tucked away doors. There she came back up with an average sized box. A brown box wrapped up tight in packing tape with an address attached. "It's headed for Fort Condor." She pointed to the address. "it's quite a ways off. I'm sorry to have to drag you into this, Rude." Tifa said with a certain softness to her eyes.

Before Rude had the chance to tell her otherwise, there was a brief knocking at the door. "Delivery!"

Tifa's heart jumped at the sudden sound, but she managed to keep the reaction internal only. Reno on the other hand damn near jumped out of his skin, while Rude simply shot a side long glance to the door behind him from beneath his sunglasses. A scrawny kid, maybe in his late teens, entered the bar holding a clip-board close to his chest. He had dirty blonde hair which stuck out at odd places beneath the company hat he wore, and his bright blue eyes darted between Tifa and the two men standing before her. Perhaps he was nervous. That sure as hell was the sort of vibe he was giving off and of course Reno couldn't help the sarcastic remark that left his mouth. "Damn kid," He slid out of the bar stool and walked cooly over to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Are you even old enough to be drinking this stuff?" Tifa did not inform Reno or Rude of her incoming delivery, however it being a bar and all, it was pretty much a give away. That, and well the delivery truck parked right outside marked 'Edge Liquors' was a dead give away too.

"My name is not kid, it's Lucas." He tried to sound big and not so small next to Reno, who wasn't a very big guy at all either. Although Rude's intimidating presence could have been the true source to Lucas' jitteriness. "And yes, as a matter-a-fact I am old enough. I'll be turning twenty-thr-"

"Not interested kid." Reno sighed while dragging on the O, with a wave of his hand, as if to dismiss the topic all together.

Tifa approached the young, novice delivery boy and asked if she could see the delivery form. He of course complied without question, seeing as it was her Liquor out there. Tifa's eyes scanned over the multilayer ed form. A white page on top, then no doubt a yellow and a pink one after that. Yeah, she remembered this order. It has been such a hectic week, she'd forgotten how big the order was. They were going to need a helping hand, and who better than...

"Rude," She pushed a piece of feathery dark hair behind her ear. Wait. What was she doing? She mentally kicked herself for even entertaining the notion of asking for help. That just did not happen, aside from asking Reno to do her deliveries when Cloud up and went MIA for days on end, which was a hassle. She'd just have to empy out the truck, mostly by herself. The delivery boy didn't look as though he'd be much help, but that'd be fine. "Never mind." She shook her head, handing back the form to the kid.

However, what she did not see was Rude, and Reno holding some secret telepathic conversation right there in the room. They'd already made a decision and Tifa had no say in the matter. "No, Lockhart. You've got it all backwards." Reno was saying as if he could read her mind. She blinked at him, her eyes had a distance look to them. "I'll be staying here, and Rude will be doing the delivery to Fort Condor."

She went to speak, but Rude beat her to it with five little words; "He's not driving my car."

"That's yours?" Lucas spoke up with a bit of surprise. All three sets of eyes turned to him, and he swore he heard the swoosh sound of air moving at warp speed. Mostly from Rude's direction. "I-I didn't touch or anything!" His face was turning bright red. Rude's expression was dark and would have more than likely sent poor little Lucas running for the hills if it weren't for Tifa's sweet presence standing beside him. "It's just I know a thing or two about cars, and well that one, the Aston Martin DB9 is a real beauty." His blush darkened when he felt Tifa's heavy eyes on him. "5.9 L V12. 469 horsepower, 443 ft. lbs. of torque. 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 186mph. Those are only the performance figures." He swallowed nervously as he dared a glance up at Rude, who's expression had softened surprisingly. Or not so surprisingly as he grabbed the package off the bar top and held it underneath one arm as a football player would.

"He's a good kid." Rude's gruff voice sounded. "Play nice, Reno." He grabbed his partners shoulder, then smacked the back of his head playfully.

"Yeah, yea." He flashed a toothy grin to Lucas. Tifa snuck in a little wink in his direction as reassurance that she'd protect him. Outside, Tifa got a nice eye full of the beauty Rude would not let Reno drive. With good reason, she thought to say, but didn't. He'd be gone for a while, at least two hours both ways.

"You know," Tifa started to say, as the Aston Martin pulled away. "Since he's doing the delivery to Fort Condor, he'll be getting the Gil I had planned to give to you."

The expression in Reno's eyes dropped from the sarcastic cocky glint, to that of a puppy who just got kicked out into the pouring rain. An amazing 180 which had Tifa flashing a not-so-genuinly sweet smile.

Lucas chuckled.

* * *

><p>Most of the day had been spent with his fingers grasping tightly into the soft cotton of the sheets and futile attempts at stifling his cries into the fluffy pillows. His whole body burned like hell. It felt as though his insides were being torn, slowly in two different directions and his stomach was on the verge of emptying its contents right there, but all he could do was tighten his hold onto the sheets and bury his head deeper into the pillow. Tuff it out. There was a cool sweat that broke across his body. Cool and hot at the same time, which worked it's way down to his very bones.<p>

And then he realized something. He had tears streaming down his face. Why? How? He always makes it a point to fight back those damn tears if he feels them coming on, except this time... what? Did he forget to? Was he that distracted by the pain shooting through him, that he did not realize he had started to cry because of it? Or was it something else? An other piercing pain laced in pleasure, shot through his body causing his hold on the sheets to tighten to the point of numbness as a forced groan escaped his throat.

A strong hand grabbed a nice handful of Cloud's not so spiky, damp blonde hair from behind and pulling his head straight up. The large built body behind him had slowly stopped it's movements. Cloud could hear his erratic breathing pattern. Or was that his own?

A beat of silence passed, then a bare hand wrapped warm fingers tightly around his member. One stroke. Two strokes. Cloud tried misserably to fight back a groan that was working its way up his throat, threatening to break past his lips. His eyes inked over as a third stroke succeeded in doing just that, his whole body suddenly getting a race of chills coursing through him. He tried to push his back-end into the big muscular body behind him, yet his member was quickly abandoned, which was when both big strong hands held his hips so tightly still, he was sure they'd bruise. Although the hands were trembling just slightly, a sign Cloud took as the bigger of the three couldn't hold out for much longer.

* * *

><p>The delivery boy had long since left. Reno kept picking on him, despite Rude's warning to play nice, he just couldn't help it. The poor kid blushed every time he set eyes on Tifa and couldn't control his stammering when she asked him to give her a hand.<p>

Denzel and Marlene had finished their chores, bathed and were not in the mits of taking their afternoon naps. Rude wouldn't be back for at least an other hour, if not longer. It was just Tifa and Reno. They sat across from one an other at one of the tables in the dinning area. They both were on their first beers. Blue Moon. Nothing too strong, it was still too early to be drinking heavily, and she had to have a somewhat coherent head for the drunks that were bound to come through tonight. Monday or not, it was still a bar.

She hadn't noticed that Reno was staring at her curiously. Or that he was done with his beer and was now doing his best ninja attempt at swiping her own beer right out from beneath her fingers. When there was nothing but cool empty air hitting her palm and slightly wet fingertips from the bottle, she finally looked up. Reno hadn't gotten very far in the ninjaing her beer department. It had only just left her hand, before she was taking it back. Reno sighed and leaned casually back into his seat.

"We may not be best friends," He was saying, watching as Tifa downed an other mouthful of Blue Moon. "But I do know women, and you are expressing all the signs of being quite... distracted."

"That obvious, huh." She finished off the bottle and abruptly left her seat to go back behind the bar to retrieve two more beers. She came back, and slid a bottle to Reno. They both twisted off the tops and took a moment to down that first crisp mouthful of a new bottle. "We may not be best friends," Tifa imitated gesturing towards Reno with her beer. He grinned. "But you're not Cloud's friend either." She arched a long slender eyebrow. Reno waited. "So you won't know what exactly is going through his head, but your opinion will be unbiased."

"Whatever it is, it's been on your mind all day that's for certain." Reno pointed out not waiting for Tifa to continue her mini rant and thus potentially confusing herself further.

She waited a moment. Thought about it. "Yes. It has been." It was a definite response. To the point. Reno grinned again, knocking back an other mouthful of beer. Like he told her, they were by no means best friends or anything close to it. They just kind of tolerated each other's company for the most part. That and well, 7th Heaven had the best selection of top shelf liquors in all of Edge. Reno couldn't justify not stopping by every once in a while to contribute. Every once in a while, being every single weekend, with or without Cloud being there. So when Tifa, on the very rare occasion divulged any sort of private information that involved that damnable Cloud; he just sat back, listened, and tucked away that precious info for a rainy day. He was sure she knew, and she knew he knew that she knew. Especially within the past five months, going on six, it was just an arrangement that sort of happened and neither one of them questioned it.

"So," He encouraged. "What happened?"

Tifa gave it a moment, realized she had barely touched her beer and promptly did something about it. Reno found it impressive. Both eyebrows shooting straight up beneath strands of fiery red hair, as Tifa drained half the bottle. "I called him this morning." She said, staring intently at the Blue Moon label. "I do every time. Pathetic, huh." Sip of beer. "He leaves, I call and it always goes straight to his voice mail... except this time he answered." Her voice had this perplexed ring to it, as if she were trying to recall what exactly happened that morning. She even wore a slightly perplexed expression. Eyebrows pushed together just slightly, her eyes had this far away look to them, as if she were inside of her head, searching, listening for something. Anything she may have missed.

Reno had yet to say anything on the matter. He just kept quiet and sipped on his beer. At one point he did happen to glance up and see that it was almost 4 p.m. Rude should be back soon and the bar would start to get busy by no later than 5-5:30 at the latest.

"He actually answered. Cloud never answers his phone." She pointed to Reno. "You guys know that. So why would he answer, and then not say anything? At all." Tifa also took note of the time. She had a clear visual shot right through the window, and noticed that the sun was starting to radiate that burn orange color it did right before setting. About an hour, she figured before the bar was bustling. She still had to fix the kids something to eat before then too.

"Maybe he's just being a dick." Reno pointed out, shrugging nonchalantly.

"It takes one, to know one." Tifa shot back.

"Hey! I'm not denying anything here." He put his hands up in mock-defense, flashing that stupid grin again. Tifa rolled her eyes. "As for why he answered his phone, and decided to play mute," Reno used his goggles to scratch a particular spot on his head before settling them back down again. Then a thoughtful sincere expression floated by in his eyes for just a moment before it was gone. "Maybe he just needed to hear your voice to complete the picture while he beat off."

Tifa gave the idea a moments thought, then shook her head. "You really don't know Cloud, now do you?" She watched as the words were sorted through Reno's head. His expressions varied from amusement, to confused to down right skeptical before he gave her this 'you-have-got-to-be-joking' expression. As though he really wasn't buying the idea that Cloud just ...didn't have a sex drive? That, or he somehow or an other just didn't find Tifa attractive that way. Straight or not, there was definitely something wrong with Cloud. The origins of this conversation had all but been forgotten. Reno was now quite interested in this bit far more.

"Do tell." His sharp green eyes locked hard onto her, as she walked behind the bar, Reno followed suit, but only as far as a bar stool.

"We are not having this conversation." Tifa's tone was soft, but it did have an underlining bite to it, something Reno picked up on instantly. However, before either one of them could say an other word, Rude had walked through the front door. Tifa quickly dismissed Reno's curious expression, as she welcomed Rude back. The man took a seat next to his partner, and Tifa prepared them both drinks.

A moment later, there was a soft creak coming from the stairway. Denzel and Marlene both poked their heads around the corner to see Tifa behind the bar and Reno and Rude on the opposite side, drinking out of short glasses. "Is the adult talk over with yet?" Denzel asked, eyes shooting to Reno and Rude. Neither he, nor Marlene had ever really seen the likes of Turks in the bar while it was so quiet. Sure they'd seen them once in a while, when the bar was busy, but it was odd, to say the least, to see the two of them here drinking even before 'official bar hours'. Denzel didn't like it.

Tifa nodded and put on her best sweet smile for the kids. "How long have you two been awake? I'll bet you're hungry."

"Starving." Marlene pouted.

"A while." Denzel averted his attention away from the Turks. "An hour and a half maybe. We were playing video games upstairs."

Tifa motioned for the two youngsters to follow her into the cookery behind the bar. There, she and them prepared Mac n' Cheese. Every once in a while, she caught a glimpse of Reno and Rude through the small cookery window. Reno was doing most of the talking, which wasn't unusual. He was probably blabbering on about the most mundane thing, or at least Tifa hoped so. Rude's expression was always a stoic one. His sunglasses may as well have been glued to his nose because they were never removed. So from the limited visibility she got from the window, Tifa couldn't tell whether or not Rude was reacting minimally or drastically to Reno's oh-so-exciting story. Whatever it may have been. He was being particularly animated at the moment.

In no time at all, the Mac n' Cheese was finished. A last minute touch was added, a request from Denzel. Hot dogs chopped up with the Mac. The two youngsters took their bowls of a quick meal and drinks upstairs, just as the first few patrons wandered into the bar.

* * *

><p>Tifa got to work and stayed that way all throughout the night. She kept that sweet smile in place, never once faltering it. She made small talk with anyone who sat at the bar, made drinks flawlessly, frequented the tables and managed the smallest amount of flirting to keep the tipsy and drunk guys there, asking for more drinks which in turn kept money flowing into the bar. It was a win win really. Every once in a while however, she felt a pair of sharp green eyes occasionally snag on her movements from a lonely corner in the room. She knew who they belonged to and worse still, she knew why he was still here and kept glancing her way. She'd given away too much earlier. She shouldn't have ever brought up the phone call, and it wouldn't have ever, however it did, been diverted to the topic of Cloud in such a way. Reno, on the other hand was still there not only for the liquor, but for the rest of that story. He wanted to know it all. Damn it, she really should have just kept her mouth shut.<p>

Hours ticked by. It was nearing 11 P.M. by the time the last patron left the bar. Finally closing time, Tifa thought, locking up the front door and clearing away the bar top of shot glasses, beer bottles and a few communal ashtrays. It had been a slow night, but successful never the less. She had just one more thing to do before calling it a night. Tucking a few loose strands of hair back behind her ears, Tifa made her way upstairs. "I'll only be a minute." She said over her shoulder. The two Turks merely nodded in agreement as Tifa disappeared up the stairs to the second floor living area.

"So," Reno casually strolled on over to a windows and peered outside. Rude's beauty of a ride was parked just out there. "Can I drive?" He grinned.

"No." Was Rude's curt reply. He too, abandon their table, choosing to stand just at the bar.

"She's a real beauty..." Reno found himself saying out loud, mostly to himself, unaffected by the short answer. His attention focused outside.

"Yes, she is." Rude was saying. His attention, however was nowhere near his precious baby outside.

Reno pulled his attention back inside, to see Rude very much engrossed with those stairs. Staring with intent, waiting for Tifa to return.

Not but a minute or so later, Tifa's long tone legs were coming back into view. The lighting beneath which Rude stood shown right through his glasses, giving him away. Reno had just caught Rude in a dead stare. He had to grin. The poor bastard has had a thing for Lockhart for years now, and has yet to do anything about it. Hands tucked loosly in his pockets, Reno attempted to get his partners attention. "Psst." No luck. Next, Tifa's bust was coming into view. Rude's mouth was slightly ajar and he may have been drooling a bit. "Rude." Reno coughed. It succeeded in snapping him out of his daze, just barely before Tifa took notice.

Tifa's dark chocolate eyes bounced from Reno to Rude, and back again. The redhead was doing his best to play it cool. Leaning casually against the wall, hands slung in his pockets. Rude tried to do the same. Adjusting his glasses, pulling his gloves taunt to his hands.

"Here," Tifa ignored the oddities the Turks were displaying. She held out her hand, in it was an amount of gil, that much was certain. "It's for today's delivery." She said, tilting her head just so in Rude's direction. "It's not much. Compared to what Shinra pays you, I'm sure this is meager. Think of it as a thank you."

It didn't appear as though Rude was going to accept the offer. He stood his ground, hands held firmly in place at his sides. "There's no need." Was his simple reply. Reno watched the scene unfold. He couldn't believe his eyes. Rude was getting some sort of attention from Tifa, and he wasn't playing into it how he should have been. Tifa may as well have been talking to a brick wall. Rude wasn't going to budge.

"I'll take it." Reno spoke up with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"You didn't do today's delivery." Tifa returned with a peaked eyebrow. "Here," She enforced her point by taking hold of Rude's hand with her own, and placing in it his much deserved payment. "I won't take no for an answer." She said sweetly. "And don't look to see how much is there, until you're well on your way."

It looked as though Rude was going to argue the point, but Reno stepped in. "She's a steadfast woman, Rude. She won't take no for an answer."

Tifa found Reno's piercing eyes with her own and nodded in agreement. She could see in his eyes, that he was still very much eager to hear the rest of that story from earlier. Whether or not she did wind up telling him later on, was something else entirely, and quite frankly, it was too much of a hassle at the moment to decide if she would or not. However she quickly drew her gaze away before he could get a tight grip on her with his own. He had been doing that a lot, that night. "He's right." She said pulling her hands away from Rude's, leaving the Gil in his possession.

A brief moment passed before a small nod of thanks was given by Rude before he turned abruptly, grabbing Reno and heading out to his beloved baby parked just outside. He had to do it, otherwise he would have dropped the Gil on the counter and left without it. That probably would have hurt Tifa, and that, Rude just could not do.

About ten minutes into the drive, Rude had briefly glanced over the Gil Tifa had given him. She may have just called it a thank you, but from Rude's perspective it was far more than a simple 'thank you' figuratively and literally speaking.

"That woman is too good a woman, for her own good." Rude shook his head, shoving the Gil into his pocket. He had his eyes glued to the road ahead, so he didn't see his redheaded partner's eyes flash curiously. His thoughts were still running circles around what Tifa had been implying earlier on. What was it she wasn't saying about her and Cloud? Was there anything at all? Or... maybe that was the problem. Was there anything at all?

"Yes she is." Reno agreed.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading, and I do apologize for the delay in updates. Life got a little hectic a bit suddenly.<p>

See you in Chapter 5! :)


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